Nut-lock.



M. UMALIA.

NUT LOOK.

l APPLICATION FILED DBO. 1G, 1909. 970,101. Patendsept. 13,1910

ATTORNEYS UNiTEn sTATEs PATENT oEEicE. l MICHAEL OMALIA, OF -SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-SIXTH T WILLIAM S. ROBINSON AND ONE-SIXTH TO WILLIAM W. BAYLOR, 0F SCRANTON,

' PENNSYLVANIA.

NUT-LOCK.

Specification f Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 13, 1910. Application led December 16, 1909. Serial No. 533,326.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MICHAEL OMALIA, a

,Citizen of the United States, and a resident of Scranton, in the county of Laeka-wanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Nut-Lock, of which Ithe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to nut locks,`more particularly of the kind requiring simple substantial construction and used, for 1nstance, in railroad work.

Generally speaking, m invention com- -prises a single member o spring metal, so l5 ormed that when ysubjected to pressure by a v nut, the spring member is distorted in three I. n ut is forced down upon it; Fig. 2 is a section similar to Fig. 1, but showing the apgearance of the parts when the nut is screwed own hard; Fig. 3 is a perspective showing the spring member constituting the nut lock; Fig. 4 is a plan viewot' the structure shown in Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is an elevation of said structure.

At 5 is a sill or beam, and extending from it is a bolt 6 provided with a threaded portion 7, and fitting upon the latter is a revoluble nut 8, these parts being of the usual or any desired construction.

'The nut lock is shown at 9 and consists generally of a member of spring metal bent in spiral form, as indicated in Fig. 3, so as to` form a little less than one complete tu-rn or convolution of a spiral. This member of spring metal is provided internally with a 'face 10 which is slightly curved in the direction of a plane passing diametrically throu h it, as Wil be'understood from Fig. 2. T e

y member 9 is fur-ther provided with a rabbet 11 integral with its lower edge and extending inwardly so as to leave an annular space .12, sufficient to clear the threaded portion 7 of the boltat all times. The inner wall 10, or curved surface, joins the upper surface of the rabbet 11 at 9?, thus forming a corner angle, as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 2. The ends of the member 9 are shown at 13, 14 (Fig. 3) and normally occup different planes but are adapted to be flirced into the same plane when suiicient pressure is applied to the spring member 9. That is to say, the ends 13, 14 are staggered, but when sufficient pressure is app ied to the member 9 the ends 13, 14 may be brought into registry with each other. The inner surface 10 of t-he spring member 9 is so formed that when it is engaged by the nut- 8 and the latter is forced down, as indicated in Fig. 2, .the descent ofthe nut forces the surface 10 outwardly so that the general diameter of the nut lock is increased slightly. The descent of the nut also causes, it to bind flatly a ainst therabbet 11 and. infdoin this the rabet in question is forced down at, as indicated in Fig. 2. Normally, that is before the nut 8 exerts any pressure, the rabbet 11 is inclined slightly in relation to any surface upon which it rests, as, for instance, the upper surface of the beam or sill 5, as indicated in Fig. 1.

The operation of my device4 is as follows: The nut lock 9 is slipped over the threaded portion'7 of the bolt, and the nut 8 is fit-ted upon this threaded portion and is screwed down. When the nut 8 in its descent reaches the general position indicated in Fig. 1, the lower portion of the nut begins to press `outwardly against the curvedsurface 10. The result is that the general diameter of the nut lock is increased. The nut continuing to descend, it soon engages the inner edges of the rabbet 11. This causes the rabbet 11 to flatten out, so that its cross section appears as in Fi 2, rather than in Fig. 1. As soon as the ra bet 11 is perfectly flat and one end of it is in registry with its other end, the nut rests flatly upon it and also rests in the corner 9a, as indicated in Fig. 2.

` As will be seen from the foregoing description, the nut in descendin orces the nut lock 9 under three distinct lrinds of tension. First, it forces the ends 13, 14 into the same plane, thereby causing the nut look to press upwardly against the nut, somewhat upon the principle of a short spiral spring. Second, the rabbet 11 presses directly `upward against the under side pf the nut, this pressure being due to the fact that the inner edge of the rabbet is normally hi her than its outer edge, as indicated in ig. 1. V The reasom'therefore, Why the rabbet 11 presses upwardly is that when the nut is down, there nut tends to enlarge the nut lockthat is,

to increase its general diameter across.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A nut lock, comprising a single member of spring metal bent spirally around an imaginary axis and provided with ends normal y staggered relatively to each other, so as to occupy different planes, but adapted to be sprung into the same plane, said member being further provided with an inwardly extending rabbet which is normally inclined relatively to said imaginary axis, but is adapted to be sprung into a plane crossing said axis at a right angle.

2. A nut lock, comprising a singlemember of spring metal bent spirally around an imaginary axis, and provided with a rabbet extending inwardl said rabbet being nor.- mally inclined re atively tol the said` imaginary axis, but adapted to be pressed at into a plane crossing said axis at angle. Y

3, A nut lock, comprising a single member of spring metal provided internally with an inclined lwall Jfor the purpose of' enabling pressure of a nut to spread saidmember, and thereby increase its general diameter, said member being further provided with a portion extending beneath said nut and adaptedk to undergo distortion, so as to press up- `wardly against said under side of said nut.

In testimony whereof lI have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing wltnesses.

MICHAEL OMALIA.

Witnesses MICHAEL GOLDEN, MARGARET MARTN.

a right 

